The Night Owl

It's an amazing Korean cinema as always. Had to wait a long time to watch it as it's been out for long. The lead actor is amazing as he always is and the veteran actor playing the King is always a screen presence. (No need to write out names since this site is mostly western users).

The story and the cinematography stands out, the acting and period piece settings makes a statement as should, but I won't deny this wasn't the way a movie like this should end. It felt like the twist and turns that made it work for 70% of the movie became so exciting for the writers they decided to push it further unnecessarily. A few major character arcs were left out very dully (kings wife, Prince wife, Prince son, etc). The other twist with a major actor seemed probable but somewhat unsavory, and didn't even have a final pay off. And in the end, a few things felt like, "let's just end it this way." Maybe if the plot with the world becoming modern was explored a little bit, some things could have been more relatable, but it wasn't. Even the King's back story could have helped if there was a better explanation or flash back. (A part of me feels this was intended to be a 6 part mini series but budget wasn't there).

Regardless, for what it intended to be and was for a major part, it was amazing. Wish it ended better.

Kyungsoo (Ryu Junjeol) is a blind acupuncturist whose skills are so good that he is hired at the royal court, where the Crown Prince has just returned from 8 years of captivity by the Qing dynasty. The two bond over shared interests, but Kyungsoo's skills are not able to prevent the death of the young Prince, according to the chief physician of malaria. Kyungsoo, however, knows more than he lets on, and sees more than others do, which puts his own life into danger....

This story is based in Korean history, which records that the Crown Prince was poisoned in 1645, but the perpetrator was never conclusively determined, which leaves room for filmmakers and writers to imagine their own solutions. This is a beautifully filmed period piece, a genre in which Korea has long excelled, and the details of life at the royal court in that period are rendered with great precision; but the real meat of the story is the suspense of the various court intrigues at play. Neither our lead character nor the audience has any idea who to trust, given the political machinations and shifting loyalties of high-placed individuals at the court - not dissimilar from politics in any era or country, really. Very well done.

"The Night Owl" is a captivating Korean movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat with unexpected plot twists throughout. The story revolves around Kyung-soo, a blind acupuncturist who becomes embroiled in palace intrigue and conspiracies, as he attempts to uncover the truth behind Crown Prince Sohyeon's death.

What makes this movie stand out is the compelling storyline and the relentless suspense that never lets up. While I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending, as it left me wanting more closure on the fate of the crown prince's son and the political dramas, the overall experience was still enjoyable.

A word of caution: Some reviews mention "bad subtitles", and it's obvious that these "reviewers" were watching the movie from dodgy sources and their so-called "reviews" doesn't hold a merit! It's essential to watch the movie through an official source to ensure accurate translations. Don't let unofficial, poorly translated versions cloud your judgement on this well-crafted film.

I watched this movie today and I had to pause every 5-10 minutes to digest what I saw. The performance by lead actor was nothing short of amazing, other actors did great job too. The movie succeeded at creating the particular atmosphere, and I was taken back to 17th century. I really loved the historical details, as a big fan of Korean period dramas. I liked little twists throughout the movie, and they did great job portraying the political battle and cruelty of politicians. The ending was good, they tried to keep it real without giving it happy ending. Overall, good thriller with good plot, a unique work although I would not say it was "wow".

The movie is well made with an interesting storyline although I had to find different subtitles multiple times to understand the movie in English, despite that in many places where the korean caption is written within the movie, there is no translation given in subtitles. I can compare and say I had a similar feeling while watching Game of Thrones final season only to arrive at a bad ending. Many aspects were inconclusive - some of the characters' stories were completely skipped at the end. The ending felt hurried and suddenly it's fast forwarded to someother timeline after several years and you'll remain wondering what just happened. Overall an interesting watch but they could have written the ending so much better while still keeping the story realistic.